My W30 finished on Tuesday this past week. I did pretty well and feel great. I noticed that while in general I did not snack,  when I did it was on green olives, plantain chips and nuts. I did try my best to eat any “snack” just prior to a meal so that officially it felt like it was an appetizer. Other than those days when I wasn’t home or anywhere I could heat up a meal or bring something that was portable, I kept those snacks away. I need to keep working on that habit as I don’t think I’ve completely learned how to manage snacks just yet…

Wednesday was a dairy day. Reintroducing certain foods back into a W30 diet is extremely important and as I may have mentioned in an earlier post, its something that I didn’t do properly last time around. So I’m quite serious about reintroduction this time. I had a couple lovely cappuccinos, some yogurt with organic pumpkin and cinnamon for breakfast, chili (beanless) with shredded cheese, and the best bacon dip that had a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and sharp cheddar with bacon of course. It was amazing! I’m making that recipe again!

After my dairy day, I didn’t notice any difference in how I felt so happy dance for me! I’m actually nervous about a wheat day and may hold off for a while. I have a feeling that my wheat day may have a tale to tell. Saturday was my wine reintroduction day.  I waited until after dinner to enjoy some red wine. I didn’t have that much, maybe 6 ounces total, and while I felt fine, I slept longer than I normally do the following morning, an extra two hours to be exact, and I woke up a couple times in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I don’t need that. My next wine experiment will be to drink it with my dinner as it probably should be done. Then I’ll know if the alcoholic remnants keep me sleepy or not.

All in all I’m glad the 30 days is over, but now I’m curious how many meals I can eat that are Whole30 and not miss some of the foods I have loved to eat in the past.  Its not so much that I loved the foods I ate – they were just part of a habit that I hope to change. The W30 recipes are so good (RealPlans) that I am quite happy and satisfied. I think if I add cheese here and there, and as things come up, I can try them and not feel deprived. I feel so much better eating this way – why would I jeopardize that and slip backwards when all I want to do is move forward and quit thinking about food, and weight, and everything that can be considered a negative? I’m in a good place right now and I’m very happy about that. 

You have to admit this looks delicious! Egg sitting on veggies and ground meat. W30 and beyond this meal works!

 Other than food, I’ve been walking (finally) for exercise. I still need to consistently add an actual workout to my day but for this week I’m going to be ok with adding steps and going out for a nice long walk. I belong to a Facebook group called the 100 Mile Month which encourages everyone to accept the challenge of walking 100 miles each month, or build up to it. I actually said I would walk 150 miles in March which I can easily do IF I get myself out the door! Its going to be tight to get week 1 at 35 miles, but I’ll be close. Then I will need to step it up just a little to reach 150 miles. It’s a great goal and one that I know I can do, but its not simple. It will take some discipline on my part as well as planning.  Any day I can get outside for more than an hour is a great day. There is something wonderful about fresh air, despite the weather conditions.  So I accepted the challenge and will make it part of my Happiness Project, which I’ve been so busy I almost forgot about!  More on that in the next day or two. Cheers!

 #Whole30 #walk100miles